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Synthetic textile materials are noted as one of the major contributors to microfiber pollution through laundry. Though many research works evaluated microfiber pollution, the solutions provided to control microfiber shedding are meager. The existing products collect or filter the microfiber from laundry effluent and restrict the direct leaching. However, no methods were proposed to effectively reduce the shedding from the textile itself.

This research is aimed to analyze the influence of surface modification of polyester knitted textiles by sodium hydroxide, on microfiber shedding. Response surface methodology was adapted to optimize different treatment parameters (alkali concentration, treatment time and temperature).

The results show that the sodium hydroxide concentration and treatment time had a negative correlation with microfiber shedding reduction. Whereas, treatment temperature had a positive correlation with microfiber shedding reduction. The statistical analysis revealed that 0.4 M concentration, 90°C temperature and 24 min of treatment time was the best process condition for minimum microfiber release. The same was confirmed with a practical experiment and a significant reduction of 80.63% in microfiber shedding after alkali treatment was found.

Alkali treatment of different knitted polyester fabrics with various knit structures and mass per square meter showed a significant reduction in microfiber shedding. The repeated laundry performed for 20 washes with surface-modified samples showed a significant reduction in microfiber release at every wash cycle and ensured the longevity of the effect.

The application of rinse cycle softener after the household laundry process has become more common in recent times. This study aims to understand the effect of repeated rinse cycle softener treatment on the mechanical and frictional properties of the cotton fabric.

Cotton-woven fabric is treated with commercial rinse cycle softener repeatedly for 15 times. After treatment, the fabric was evaluated for the changes in mechanical properties using the Kawabata evaluation system.

The results of this study revealed that the softener treatment reduces the tensile properties (41.25%) and increases the overall extensibility of the fabric up to 20.89%. The shear (34.57%) and bending rigidity of the treated fabric are reduced considerably than the untreated fabric (58.02%). The increment in the fabric softness and fluffiness was confirmed with the increment in the compression and the difference between the initial and final thickness at maximum pressure. Statistical significance (p < 0.05) is noted only in the case of bending and surface friction properties (dynamic friction).

The usage of rinse cycle softeners in the household laundry has a significant influence on the comfort characteristics of the cotton-woven fabric. Repeated usage of rinse cycle softener increased the fabric softness and fluffiness of the fabric and also reduced the tensile properties significantly.

Odour formation in textile material is mainly based on the fibre content and also the constituent fibres’ chemical and physical structures. Polyester fibre materials are very profound to form odour after being worn due to their highly oleophilic nature. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the odour formation characteristics of polyester fabric after surface modification through alkali treatment.

Five male participants were allowed to use the alkali-treated and untreated polyester fabrics, which were fixed in the axilla region of their vest. Subjective and objective odour analyses were performed for the worn samples. The odour was evaluated in terms of intensity rating, bacterial population (CFU/ml) and bacterial isolation.

The results showed that alkali treatment was effective in odour reduction in polyester fabric (p<0.005). The bacterial population density was also reduced significantly (p<0.005) in the alkali-treated polyester fabric compared to the untreated polyester fabric after the wear trial. The alkali treatment affected the surface structure of the polyester fabric and thus changed it from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. This was confirmed by the moisture management test results.

The odour formation in the polyester fabric can be controlled by simple surface modification process like alkali treatment, and thus the value of the product can be increased in the apparel sector.

The utilisation of softener after laundering of textile became one of the mandatory activities among the consumers. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of repeated rinse cycle softener treatment on the comfort characteristics of cotton and polyester woven fabric.

The selected cotton and polyester fabrics were treated using three different softeners types and three different numbers of rinsing times, namely 5, 10 and 15. The impact of repeated rinse cycle softener treatment on the comfort characteristics like absorbency, air permeability, wicking, thermal conductivity and flammability was analysed and the changes in the properties were confirmed using two-way ANOVA.

The number of rinse cycle softener treatment has a significant impact on the absorbency, air permeability and wicking ability of the cotton and polyester fabrics. The thermal conductivity and flammability characteristics of the fabrics mostly altered based on the type of fabric softener used. For all the type of fabric, the burning time reduced after the softener treatment.

The consumer expects the softness and fragrance smell developed by the rinse cycle softener and they intend to use it more frequently after every laundry process to achieve that feel. This repeated the application of softener causes a negative impact on the fabric performances. This research result provides an evidence for the changes in physiological comfort aspects of textiles.

This analysis enlightens the negative impact of the repeated use of commercial fabric softener and their types on the common fabrics used in apparel endues.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the performance analysis of Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) – Chitosan composite dye transfer inhibitor (DTI) for household laundry. The developed composite DTI is tested against different commercial dyes and detergent powders normally used in the household laundry for its performance.

The DTI article is tested for its performance against five commercial dyes and five commercial detergent compositions. The dye re-deposition behaviour of the control fabric was measured in terms of the colour difference (ΔE) values. The influence of PVP on the washing efficiency of detergent was evaluated against tea, coffee and juice stains.

The results showed that there is an excellent performance of the developed product noted in terms of DTI performance against reactive, basic and sulfur dyes. The DTI product showed a significantly (p<0.05) less performance against acid and direct dyes. There is no significant differences noted in the stain removal efficiency of the detergent in the presence of PVP in the wash liquor (p>0.05).

The usage of DTI polymer in the household laundry has no significant influence on the detergents performance in terms of stain removing efficiency. The DTI polymer’s function in the wash liquor depends up on the type of polymer used, as they are sensitive to the type of detergent compositions used and the type of dyes bleeds in the wash liquor.

Microfiber is one of the major sources of microplastic emission into the environment. In recent times, research on microfiber has gained momentum, and research across different disciplines was performed. However, no complete study was performed from the viewpoint of textiles to analyse the microfiber shedding behaviour by relating the properties textiles. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the microfiber shedding behaviour in textiles.

Articles on the microfiber shedding across different disciplines were collected and analysed systematically to identify the influencing factor. The influence of laundry parameters is found to be majorly discussed section, yet very few research data is found on the effect of yarn and fabric properties on the microfiber shedding.

Most of the articles listed laundry detergent addition, higher temperature, use of softeners, type of washing machines used and amount of liquid used as the major factors influencing the fiber shedding. Concerning the fiber and yarn characteristics, yarn twist, fiber type (staple/filament), method of production, fabric structure and specific density are reported as influencing factors. Some articles highlighted the influence of ageing of textiles on the fiber shedding.

The review identified the research gap in the textile sector and reports that so far, no research performed on microfiber shedding with the textile parameters. The review further urges the importance of research works to be performed in the textile by considering the fabric and yarn properties.

Mycelium is an upcoming bio-based alternative material that has various applications in different industries. Mycelium materials used as composites, leather, construction materials and some are even available for commercial purposes. However, there was not much research found when it came to the application of mycelium as a textile alternative. The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential of mycelium in the textile industry and its possible applications.

This review consolidates literature that refers the two major methods used in fungal mycelium production namely; as a composite and as a pure self-grown mycelium sheet. The study compared the current research status in this respective field and reported the scope in the pure mycelium development.

The results of the review reported that several research works are performed in composite production with different feedstock. The production methods and product development steps were well established for several applications from home utilities to construction materials. Whereas, in the case of self-grown mycelium sheet production only limited research works were found. Though the possibilities of engineered composite sheets are developed with various properties, research on self-grown pure mycelium sheets are at infant stage. Sensitive production methods, lower tensile, tearing, poor handle properties with brittle structure and non-uniformity in thickness are noted as limitations. Sustainable nature, self-grown three-dimensional nano-fibril network with porous structure are found to be advantageous.

The solid culture method was identified as a potential method to develop a sheet-like self-grown mycelium with different dimensions. The review results clearly show the lack of research in the direct application of self-grown pure mycelium area concerning feedstock material, fungal species selection and characterization of the developed product. Addressing the existing limitations will yield a sustainable textile material for fashion and textile industry with great potential.

Dehydrated bacterial cellulose’s (BC) intrinsic rigidity constrains applicability across textiles, leather, health care and other sectors. This study aims to yield a novel BC modification method using glycerol and succinic acid with catalyst and heat, applied via an industrially scalable padding method to tackle BC’s stiffness drawbacks and enhance BC properties.

Fabric-like BC is generated via mechanical dehydration and then finished by using padding method with glycerol, succinic acid, catalyst and heat. Comprehensive material characterizations, including international testing standards for stiffness, bending properties (cantilever method), tensile properties, moisture vapor transmission rate, moisture content and regain, washing, thermal gravimetric analysis, derivative thermogravimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and colorimetric measurement, are used.

The combination of BC/glycerol/succinic acid dramatically enhanced porous structure, elongation (27.40 ± 6.39%), flexibility (flexural rigidity of 21.46 ± 4.01 µN m; bending modulus of 97.45 ± 18.20 MPa) and moisture management (moisture vapor transmission rate of 961.07 ± 86.16 g/m²/24 h; moisture content of 27.43 ± 2.50%; and moisture regain of 37.94 ± 4.73%). This softening process modified the thermal stability of BC. Besides, this study alleviated the drawbacks for washing (five cycles) of BC and glycerol caused by the ineffective affinity between glycerol and cellulose by adding succinic acid with catalyst and heat.

The study yields an effective padding process for BC softening and a unique modified BC to contribute added value to textile and leather industries as a sustainable alternative to existing materials and a premise for future research on BC functionalization by using doable technologies in mass production as padding.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is an ideal alternative filtering material. However, current functionalization approaches for BC have not been fully discovered industrially as well as academically applying textile processing. This study aims to create a sustainable fabric-like membrane made of BC/activated carbon (AC) for applications in filtration using textile padding method, to protect people from respiratory pandemics.

Fabric-like BC is first mechanically dehydrated then AC is loaded via a textile padding step. The finishing efficacy, properties of fabric-like BC/AC and NaOH pretreatment are analyzed and characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), CIELab color space, color strength (K/S), nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm including Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area and Barrett–Joyner–Halenda (BJH) pore size and volume.

This research results in a fabric-like BC/AC with pore diameters of 3.407 ± 0.310 nm, specific surface area of 115.28 m²/g and an efficient scalable padding process, which uses 8 times less amount of chemical and nearly 30 times shorter treating duration than conventional methods.

Our globe is now consuming an alarming amount of non-degradable disposable masks resulting in massive trash buildup as a future environmental problem. Besides, current disposable masks requiring a significant upfront technological investment have posed challenges in human protection from respiratory diseases, especially for countries with limited conditions. By combining a sustainable material (BC) with popular padding method of textile industry, the fabric-like BC/AC will offer sustainable and practical values for both humankind and nature.

This research has offered an effective padding process to functionalize BC, and a unique fabric-like BC/AC membrane for filtration applications.

The effect of enzyme treatments with consecutive softening by the use of silicone – polyurethane on low stress mechanical properties and hand values of jute/cotton union fabric have been studied on the Kawabata evaluation system (KES). The results indicate that the enzyme treated, silicone – polyurethane finished fabric has significant (p<0.05) improvement in tensile resilience, fabric extensibility, compressional resistance and friction co efficient, whereas fabric thickness, linearity of tensile, surface roughness, bending and shear rigidity and their hysteresis are reduced compared to the untreated fabric. Under the Kawabata system, the Koshi (stiffness) value of the finished fabric is decreased by 1-9%. Numeri (smoothness) and Fukurami (fullness and softness) values are increased by 11-20% and 3-4% respectively compared to the untreated fabric. The variation in primary hand values are significant (p<0.05). The total hand value (THV) is also increased by 6% and 44% for the case of 40/60 and 50/50 jute/cotton union fabrics, respectively. This study confirms the possible usage of jute/cotton fabric in the apparel segment.